The present inventions are related to systems and methods for equalizing an input data set.
Reading information from a magnetic storage medium includes receiving an analog electrical signal representing the received information by a read channel circuit that, among other things, equalizes the incoming signal to a primary target. As an example for channels with media noise, an equalization target generally consists of two parts: (1) a relatively short primary equalization target consisting of two or three taps, and (2) a bank of noise prediction filters including a number of individual noise prediction filters that are each tuned to a different data pattern. The overall equalization target consists of the convolution of the primary target with the noise prediction filters. Such a target is data-dependent.
In some cases, determining the appropriate overall target involves selecting what is expected to be a reasonable primary target. Once the primary target is selected using, for example, a mean-squared error (MSE) approach, the coefficients of the bank of noise prediction filters are adaptively selected. Such an approach provides reasonable performance, but does not result in error-rate optimizing solutions. To provide error-rate optimization, more complex and costly approaches may be employed. Such approaches typically rely on error rate based search algorithms to yield an optimum target. In particular, a primary target is established during a calibration phase prior to normal operation by individually selecting each of a number of possible primary targets and thereafter testing each of the selected primary targets. The respective error rate exhibited by each of the primary targets is stored, and the generated error rates are compared one against another to determine the optimum primary target. While such approaches are capable of yielding an optimized primary target, they can be too costly in terms of computational complexity and/or time for practical use.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for determining equalization targets.